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The Simulacrum

93%Game Brain Score
gameplay, replayability
grinding, stability
93% User Score Based on 218 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
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About

"The Simulacrum" is a narrative-driven psychological horror game that challenges players to solve puzzles and uncover the truth behind a mysterious experiment. As the player, you'll take on the role of a research assistant working in a secluded facility, tasked with exploring the eerie world of the simulacrum and its enigmatic creator. With each new revelation, the line between reality and simulation blurs further, forcing players to confront their own perceptions and fears.

Genres & Tags
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The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
The Simulacrum screenshot
Skip User Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 218 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The game features an innovative system of procedurally generated cards, providing endless replayability and unique strategies in each run.
  • The core mechanics are engaging, combining elements of roguelike gameplay with deck-building, allowing players to create powerful combos and adapt their strategies.
  • Despite some bugs, the game is fun and offers a surprising amount of depth for its price, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of card games.
  • The game suffers from a lack of polish, with numerous bugs that can disrupt gameplay, such as cards freezing or being unplayable.
  • Many players have noted the absence of a comprehensive tutorial, making it difficult for newcomers to understand the mechanics and gameplay flow.
  • The balance of the game can be inconsistent, with some runs feeling unfair due to extreme randomness in card generation and powerful enemy encounters.
  • gameplay
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a unique delving system that features procedurally generated cards, allowing for a vast array of strategies and combinations. Players can engage in various modes, including constructed and draft formats, though the tutorial is criticized for its lack of clarity. While the game offers deep mechanics and a rewarding combat system, it has a steep learning curve and could benefit from improved tutorials and content expansion.

    • “The gameplay is mostly a delving system that generates a deck for you, and then creates additional cards as you go through a decision tree to fight battles, meet odd encounters which may mutate your cards, and eventually face off against three bosses.”
    • “Incredible game with super deep mechanics and infinite replay value due to the AI generation of the cards.”
    • “While it has its flaws and a steep learning curve, its core combat mechanics and the ever-changing procedurally generated cards make it a pleasure to play.”
    • “When you load into the tutorial, it doesn't really explain anything, and it took some playing to learn various mechanics. A basic guide written by the dev would be more helpful.”
    • “The actual free-play deckbuilding feels meaningless when you set the difficulty for your gameplay with a constructed deck yourself. The game would be much improved with a ranking per deck and repeated opponents at an adjusted difficulty.”
    • “The roguelike/lite portion of the game (delving) can be fickle at times if you get some 'bad' cards or face an overpowered opponent, but once you get the hang of the mechanics, it becomes pretty fun.”
  • replayability
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability, primarily due to its near-infinite card collection and the randomness of content generation, which keeps gameplay fresh and engaging. However, some players note that the current player base limits the depth of draft modes, leading to repetitive experiences with familiar decks and cards. Overall, while it may not fully meet its ambitious potential for replayability, it remains a fun and affordable option with substantial replay value.

    • “This provides a lot of replay value, as you can collect a near infinite amount of cards from various sources.”
    • “Incredible game with super deep mechanics and infinite replay value due to the AI generation of the cards.”
    • “Pretty fun and addicting with theoretically infinite replayability due to randomly generated content (even cards).”
    • “Not nearly enough replayability for how ambitious it is, but more than enough to pay for itself many times over.”
    • “Draft (delve) is where replayability lies, but you face the same decks too often, the same cards even.”
    • “I think if the game suddenly became popular, draft would actually have a lot of depth and replayability, but as is there are not enough players queuing to make it happen.”
  • graphics
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning visuals and immersive art style, while others note that the graphics and UI are rough around the edges and in need of polish. Despite these shortcomings, the procedurally-generated artwork is appreciated for its uniqueness, and many players are willing to overlook the graphical issues due to the game's innovative gameplay. Overall, while the graphics may not be perfect, they contribute positively to the game's appeal for fans of the genre.

    • “With stunning visuals and intriguing gameplay, it's a must-play!”
    • “Immersive graphics and visuals.”
    • “I love looking at the procedurally-generated artwork, so trippy.”
    • “This game is interesting and innovative enough that I'm willing to overlook bad UI design, bad graphics, poorly-worded cards, and weird timing issues (where effects of cards happen before the cards get displayed, for example).”
    • “Little rough around the edges in terms of graphics and animations, but I am sure that will be fixed up in time.”
    • “Graphics and UI are rough, but if you're getting into this, you're doing so to explore the question: 'what if Magic: The Gathering was modded with a randomizer?'”
  • story
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's storyline is described as engaging and intriguing, though some players feel it lacks a cohesive narrative. While there is lore associated with the bosses, it may not satisfy those seeking a more developed story. Additionally, the absence of music and sound effects detracts from the overall storytelling experience.

    • “Engaging and intriguing storyline.”
    • “The bosses you encounter have lore behind each of them, adding depth to the game.”
    • “The storyline is captivating and keeps you invested in the game.”
    • “There isn't really a story to the game, but the bosses you find have lore behind each of them (which is something I'm personally not invested in, but some of you might've wanted more of that).”
    • “It could definitely use some music and sound effects as well as a story.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its strong optimization, running smoothly on a wide range of hardware. Players appreciate the unique mechanics alongside its solid performance.

    • “The game is well optimized and has unique mechanics.”
    • “Performance-wise, the game runs fine on almost anything.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate that the game simplifies matches into quick, strategic combats, reducing the tedium often associated with grinding. However, acquiring cards through buying singles and random packs is seen as a tedious process, with limited options for spending in-game currency. Overall, while the grinding aspect is manageable, it could benefit from improvements in card acquisition.

    • “Buying singles and random packs is just a tedious way to get cards, leaving no good way to spend your gold.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is described as fun but plagued by significant stability issues, including frequent bugs that cause cards to freeze and become unplayable, indicating a need for substantial improvements.

    • “Not a terrible game, very buggy. It definitely needs a lot of work as some cards straight up freeze and then clog up your hand as unplayable.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is praised for its immersive atmosphere, complemented by intuitive controls that enhance the overall experience.

    • “Atmospheric game with clear controls.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted through the interesting and occasionally funny boss characters, contributing to an engaging experience. The minimalistic design complements this aspect, enhancing the overall enjoyment.

    • “The bosses are interesting and sometimes funny, adding a delightful twist to the gameplay.”
  • music
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviewers feel that the game lacks sufficient music and sound effects, suggesting that these elements are necessary to enhance the overall experience and storytelling.

    • “It could definitely use some music and sound effects as well as a story.”
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